PSO Premium Review: MLB World Series Game 5

1. Clayton Kershaw is 1 win away from getting rid of all postseason demons

Many stories have been made of Clayton Kershaw’s past postseason struggles. The 3x Cy Young award winner has put together one of the greatest regular season resumes of all-time, but hasn’t been able to replicate that success in the playoffs…until now. The 32-year-old is finally limiting offenses as effectively as he has done during the season. Critics can make the point that with a 60-game season, these games would still be part of the first half in a usual year, but if the Dodgers win just one of the next two games, Kershaw doesn’t have to worry about any of that as he sips champagne and receives congratulatory texts saying “way to go champ” as the all-time postseason strikeout leader.  

2. Tyler Glasnow is dealing with his own playoff struggles

The person that could’ve been most responsible for keeping Kershaw’s lack of playoff wins alive after Game 5 was Tyler Glasnow, but he repeated his poor Game 1 performance with another shellacking at the hands of LA’s potent lineup. The electric 27-year-old has showed signs of being a future ace in the regular season, but as the sample size continues to grow in October, Glasnow’s career 6.56 ERA over 8 GS (35.2 IP) looks like he could be following in Kershaw’s footsteps of consistently disappointing in the games that matter most. The Rays needed Glasnow to deliver a gem and he immediately got rattled after allowing two runs in the first inning and two solo shots after that.  

3. Blake Treinen is covering the Dodgers biggest hole

Kenley Jansen’s record-breaking fourth blown World Series save in Game 4 caused legit concerns about the Dodgers ability to close games. Enter Blake Treinen, the 2018 AL Reliever of the Year, when he collected 38 Saves. The 32-year-old has closer experience and despite a down year in 2019 and a rocky 60-game experience in 2020, he delivered when LA needed him most in Game 5 to get LA one win away from finally re-claiming the Commissioner’s Trophy. Unless the Dodgers offense completely goes off in Game 6 or Game 7, which it’s capable of doing, but unlikely against Snell or winner-take-all Morton and that bullpen, LA will need Treinen one more time with legacies on the line. His next appearance will likely be the most important one of his career and determine how some of these players and teams are perceived forever.